Recently, the BBC conducted and released its survey asking 28,000 respondents from 27 different countries which countries, from a list of twelve, had the most positive and negative influence in the world.

When I read the results, I was surprised to notice my personal connection to it. I have personally moved from the very top of the list to the very bottom. That is, I moved from Canada, the most positive country in the world, to Israel, the most negative. What a surprise!

If I were to view life according to this ridiculous survey, I would ask myself, why would I do such a stupid thing- move from the very best, the “crème de la crème”, to the very worst? The BBC conducts this survey often, and usually Israel finds itself at the bottom- the negative end- along with such other notable countries like the United States, Iran, and North Korea. The one thing I can partially accept about this survey is that, as one the officials behind it mentioned, the negative countries were the ones perceived to either use the most military force (Israel and the United States) or pursue the most deadly of weapons (Iran and North Korea). On the other end of the scale, we find Canada, which in this case hardly uses any military force nor show itself to be militant (despite the fact that Canada is leading the anti-insurgency NATO mission in Afghanistan). And further to its confusion, behind Canada as the most positive are Japan and France- both countries with just wonderful histories of war and violence.

But back to the “going from the best to the worst”. Let me say that I absolutely do not see it that way at all. For the record I absolutely love Canada- it honestly is up there, next to Israel, as my favorite country in the world. I lived there most my life and I can say, life there is grand. And Israel, has its own special place for me, and it too is a country I am in love with.

So is Canada the most positive influence in the world? To make things easy for me, I’ll just accept that it is- go Canada! But I say that because my focus is more on the other end of the scale, the negative end. Does Israel give the most negative influence on the world? Absolutely not! A democratic country of nearly seven million, Muslims and Jews and Christians, multi-cultural, rich in flavor and life, to me is not negative at all. A country that has produced some of the world best technological advances, and continues to do so, is not negative at all. A country that despite it all, continues to survive and flourish, is no negative country whatsoever.

What about those countries that kill its own citizens? Those countries that deny their own people any human rights? What about those countries that embezzle their own people’s money for the elite few? And so on…really, what about them? Are they in any way ‘positive’?

So go ahead, BBC. I like you news regardless, but this survey is just a joke. If you ask such a ridiculous question, you’ll get some ridiculous answers.

“Actions, more than words”

I’ll get straight to it. I see Hamas slowly transforming itself into an outfit that doesn’t quite fit its stereotype. If Hamas is the terrorist organization I think of when I know of what they have done, it confuses me when I see the same leaders dressed in suits, negotiating agreements and representing a quasi state. Terrorism is becoming more chic these days.

With that in mind, let me add that the recent Mecca agreement signed between Fatah and Hamas on a unity government has put Israel in a bind. The ball is in out court in this very long game of tennis war. Does Israel recognize this government that is composed of an organization we negotiated with, and an organization we are still at war with? And what about the agreement, whereby Hamas will “honour” all previous agreements signed by the PLO/PA and Israel? What, in fact, does honour actually mean here?

Israel’s expected response has been to declare that the Mecca agreement has not gone far enough. That honouring an agreement is not the same as accepting an agreement, and that partial recognition is no recognition at all. And so Israel has hit back the tennis ball into the court of the Palestinians, who are now wondering what exactly to do with that tennis ball.

Because as I see it, what Hamas agreed to at Mecca is as far as it will go for a long time to come. When you think about it, Hamas has done much this year in terms of shifting its presented character around. It has largely abided by a cease fire with Israel (unfortunately broken when it partook in the attack and kidnapping of IDF soldier Gilad Shalit). Hamas has become a political party and agreed to participate in Palestinian Authority legislative elections, which by the way, is a product of the Oslo Accords. And then there are the nuances in Hamas official talk, whereby it would accept a long term “hunda” with Israel at the 1967 borders. And now Mecca.

So let me repeat. I do not see Hamas going much farther than it has at Mecca in terms of recognizing Israel. “Honouring” or whatever it may be is the farthest Hamas will go. So then, what do we make of this?

I am a true believer in the “actions speak louder than words” idea. It’s useful in conflict management, especially in a region where pride exists above all, and where accepting the other is tantamount to a strike against pride. But actions are often not. Are we really going to let ourselves get bogged down in semantics? Recognition? What does that even exactly mean? I do not want to get into a long diatribe on international law and the concept of recognition, because what I am saying here is actions speak louder than words.

Here is how I see it. Just this week, a terrorist was captured inside Israel ready to commit a large scale terrorist attack. The terrorist hailed from Islamic Jihad, still at war with Israel. Hamas and the Palestinian Authority it controls are aware of who these men are, and where they operate. And let’s be clear here, Islamic Jihad is a small organization when compared to Fatah and Hamas. And so if Hamas were to heed the actions speak louder than words principle, it would do its best to prevent Islamic Jihad from committing terrorist attacks against Israel. What a confidence builder that would be, if Hamas were to arrest and imprison individuals who commit terrorist attacks against Israel.

Israel, for its part, should head its part of the road map and immediately dismantle all settler outposts and cease construction of settlements. Just this week a report emerged for Peace Now that says 2000 settlers live in scattered outposts and they continue to grow.

And of course, there is the issue of prisoners, which both sides must come to an agreement over. Our soldier is still in the hands of the kidnappers, and thousands of Palestinians are languishing in our jails. Such a substantive issue ought to be dealt with now, and not to be left to be forgetten.

These are just three examples of outstanding issues that must immediately be dealt with, and could be dealt with without any “recognition”. Actions speak louder than words. Dealing with these and other issues are much, much more important than getting bogged down over recognition.

The bottom line here is, it would be a terrible shame on the peoples of the region to let any chance of a settlement get bogged down over semantics and words. Because in the end of the day, conflict itself is a manifestation of not recognizing the other- in technical terms and in human terms. A settlement of conflict is in itself recognition by both sides of the other. Any final settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will absolutely involve mutual recognition, and so then why should we let semantics serve as a barrier now, when we all know at the end of the day it will be dealt with?

Actions speak louder than words. Both sides much build some confidence here, because there is much to build.

This is a piece I kind of wrote on a whim, reflecting my thoughts on the schism between the worlds of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Enjoy.
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The Worlds of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv

Driving down towards Tel Aviv these days, mid-way through the forty-five minute journey, you can see the finished product of Israel’s soon-to-be newest achievement: a high speed train link between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Its construction is ahead of schedule, something rarely heard of in this country, and within a few years citizens of Israel’s “eternal capital” and its self-described “hip city” will be only a hop and a skip away from one another.

And yet as a train is being built to appendage the two cities, seemingly they seem to be drifting further apart. Because as it stands to many who live in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, Israel’s two largest cities represent a world apart from each other. And I am not talking about the sea and the mountains! In Jerusalem they pray while in Tel Aviv they play, or as once I have heard.

I think graffiti discovered during the recent anti-gay marches in Jerusalem puts it best. A thug, or thugs, had the gall to spray paint on a synagogue in Jerusalem, “If we cannot be safe in Jerusalem, you will not be safe in Tel Aviv”. Forgot for a moment the actual problems the proposed gay parade in Jerusalem caused for the country. Forget the riots and the bickering over whether it should have been allowed or not. And rather, think about what the event further solidified within the social reality of Israel: Jerusalem and Tel Aviv are worlds apart.

The parade, in my opinion, visibly demonstrated to the country the profound schism between the majority secular population and the growing religious population. Now, I will steer away from semantics and variances of beliefs within these two groups, just to make things simpler. The reality of Israel today is there exists the world of Tel Aviv, representing individualism and liberalism, secularism and lives before land; and there exists the world of Jerusalem, representing communitarianism and more conservatism, religious identity and land before lives. Call it what you will, I prefer to call it the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv schism of Israel. And even though it exists more or less throughout the country, nowhere is it more profound then when comparing the two cities of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

What else can be said that characterizes this schism? Jerusalem is on edge- literally. Take a look at the map and you will see Jerusalem surrounded by the green line and today, surrounded by the security barrier. Jerusalem is divided. There is an entire eastern half, legally a part of the city, that is a social no-go area for the cities’ Jews, and very much likewise the western half for the cities’ Arabs. Tel Aviv, on the other hand, seems more at ease with itself. It has room to grow and air to breath, even if that air is polluted. The only ethnic division is that of Jaffa, and even then it’s hardly conflictual. But all these are but jut details to the wider schism between the two.

I have recently moved to Jerusalem and am now feeling what I have written here. Tel Aviv really does seem far apart. Yet I will not come down on Jerusalem too hard, because Tel Aviv has its share of problems too. Jerusalem is a gorgeous city with an energy that is more nuanced than Tel Aviv, and that to me is a good thing. Jerusalem is less of a hustle, even if there is a lot of flow.

But the schism remains, and ever so slowly it grows with demographic adjustments and attitudinal shifts. In a few years from now, the high speed train line will be complete, and Jerusalem and Tel Aviv will be connected more than ever. One wonders, however, if such a connection will have any effect of the schism between the worlds of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.